On February 25th, Wahaha issued an obituary announcing the passing of its founder and chairman, Zong Qinghou, due to illness that could not be cured. He passed away on February 25, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at the age of 79.
Zong Qinghou devoted his entire life to building Wahaha, which he founded and grew from scratch into a leading enterprise.
Public records show that Zong Qinghou was born on October 12, 1945, on Dongdajie Street in Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, and had four siblings.
In 1978, at the age of 33, Zong Qinghou returned to Hangzhou after 15 years of farming experience. Over the next decade, he worked in several school-run enterprises but struggled to find success.
It wasn't until the age of 42 that Zong Qinghou's career took a turning point.
In July 1987, using pollen sales proceeds and a 50,000 CNY bank loan as initial capital, Zong Qinghou established the Hangzhou Baoling Children's Nutritional Food Factory, later known as the Hangzhou Wahaha Nutritional Food Factory, to process pollen oral liquid for the Baoling Company in Hangzhou.
In 1988, under the guidance of Professor Zhu Shoumin, Wahaha developed its first nutritional product specifically for children.
The slogan "Drink Wahaha, Eat Well" quickly spread nationwide, and Wahaha children's nutritional drinks became popular, with orders pouring in. Sales revenue exceeded 98 million CNY in 1990.
In 1991, Zong Qinghou acquired the state-owned Hangzhou Canned Food Factory for over 80 million CNY, gaining more than 60,000 square meters of factory space, inheriting debts of over 60 million CNY, and employing over 2,200 workers.
However, within a hundred days of the acquisition, the Hangzhou Canned Food Factory turned a profit, propelling Wahaha onto the fast track of success.
